The 76th Tata Steel tournament took place at Wijk aan Zee in the Netherlands last month. Levon Aronian of Armenia displayed ominous form in winning the A Group with a round to spare. The world number two narrowed the gap in ranking between himself and World champion Magnus Carlsen and established himself as clear favourite to emerge as Carlsen's challenger from the coming Candidates tournament in March.
Aronian's impressive final score of 8/11 was 1 ½ points clear of Anish Giri (Netherlands) and Sergey Karjakin (Russia) tied for second place. The victory would been even more convincing but for a fatal blunder in the final game allowing his opponent an instant win (see today's problem).
Today's game is from the sixth round at Wijk aan Zee, featuring Aronian playing White against GM Wesley So of the Philippines.
1.c4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4 Nxc3 6.bxc3 Bg7 7.Be2 c5 8.O-O Nc6 9.Qa4!?
From an English Opening we have a position that strongly resembles an Exchange Gruenfeld, except that White delays 9. d4 until fully developed. This has the effect of depriving Black of his usual counterplay against White's centre. 9... Bd7 10.Qa3 Qa5 11.Rd1 O-O 12.Rb1 b6 13.d4 Qxa3 14.Bxa3 Bg4
The pressure on d4 achieves the desirable breakup of White's centre after all, but White's rooks are better developed as the position opens up. 15.dxc5 Bxc3 16.Ba6!?
Accepting a weakening of his pawns in order to pursue the initiative on the queenside – the move threatens 17.Bb7 and stops the black rooks from using c8. If White seeks the two bishops by 16.h3 Bxf3 17.Bxf3 Rfc8 Black should hold the balance. 16... Rab8 17.Rdc1 Bxf3 18.gxf3 Bd2 19.Rd1 Bc3 20.Kg2
Not interested in a draw by repetition yet. Black's pieces are slightly loose and under fire from White's rooks and bishops. 20... bxc5 21.Bxc5 Bb4 22.Be3 Bd6 23.Rbc1 Nb4 24.Bc4 Rfc8 25.f4!
White could win a pawn by the desperado 25.Bxa7 Ra8 26.Be3 Nxa2 27.Bxa2 Rxc1 28.Bxf7+! Kxf7 29.Rxc1 but the remaining material and doubled pawns make the extra pawn of little value. Instead the text seeks to crowd the Black minor pieces. 25... Kf8 26.a3 Nc6 27.Ba6!
Sacrificing a pawn to disrupt the coordination of the black pieces. 27... Bxa3 28.Rc4 Rd8?!
After 28... Rc7 Black's knight and rook will find it hard to escape from the pin on the c-file, though this was preferable to the text as the rook soon finds itself shunted out of play. 29.Ra1 Bb2 30.Raa4 Rd6
A sad necessity as the knight has no squares. 31.e5 Re6 32.Rc2 Nd8?!
Losing a piece, but after 32... Rb4 33.Ra2 Bd4 34 Bc8 Black loses the exchange. 33.Bxa7 Ra8 34.Bb5 Bxe5
This time the bishop has no squares. White's domination of the black pieces is remarkable. 35.fxe5 Rxe5 36.Be3
Black resigns – he stands no chance in the ending pitting knight and two pawns against two bishops.
Aronian in ominous form
Problem: Black to play and win.
The 76th Tata Steel tournament took place at Wijk aan Zee in the Netherlands last month. Levon Aronian of Armenia displayed ominous form in winning the A Group with a round to spare. The world number two narrowed the gap in ranking between himself and World champion Magnus Carlsen and established himself as clear favourite to emerge as Carlsen's challenger from the coming Candidates tournament in March.
Aronian's impressive final score of 8/11 was 1 ½ points clear of Anish Giri (Netherlands) and Sergey Karjakin (Russia) tied for second place. The victory would been even more convincing but for a fatal blunder in the final game allowing his opponent an instant win (see today's problem).
Today's game is from the sixth round at Wijk aan Zee, featuring Aronian playing White against GM Wesley So of the Philippines.
1.c4 Nf6
2.Nf3 g6
3.Nc3 d5
4.cxd5 Nxd5
5.e4 Nxc3
6.bxc3 Bg7
7.Be2 c5
8.O-O Nc6
9.Qa4!?
From an English Opening we have a position that strongly resembles an Exchange Gruenfeld, except that White delays 9. d4 until fully developed. This has the effect of depriving Black of his usual counterplay against White's centre.
9... Bd7
10.Qa3 Qa5
11.Rd1 O-O
12.Rb1 b6
13.d4 Qxa3
14.Bxa3 Bg4
The pressure on d4 achieves the desirable breakup of White's centre after all, but White's rooks are better developed as the position opens up.
15.dxc5 Bxc3
16.Ba6!?
Accepting a weakening of his pawns in order to pursue the initiative on the queenside – the move threatens 17.Bb7 and stops the black rooks from using c8. If White seeks the two bishops by 16.h3 Bxf3 17.Bxf3 Rfc8 Black should hold the balance.
16... Rab8
17.Rdc1 Bxf3
18.gxf3 Bd2
19.Rd1 Bc3
20.Kg2
Not interested in a draw by repetition yet. Black's pieces are slightly loose and under fire from White's rooks and bishops.
20... bxc5
21.Bxc5 Bb4
22.Be3 Bd6
23.Rbc1 Nb4
24.Bc4 Rfc8
25.f4!
White could win a pawn by the desperado 25.Bxa7 Ra8 26.Be3 Nxa2 27.Bxa2 Rxc1 28.Bxf7+! Kxf7 29.Rxc1 but the remaining material and doubled pawns make the extra pawn of little value. Instead the text seeks to crowd the Black minor pieces.
25... Kf8
26.a3 Nc6
27.Ba6!
Sacrificing a pawn to disrupt the coordination of the black pieces.
27... Bxa3
28.Rc4 Rd8?!
After 28... Rc7 Black's knight and rook will find it hard to escape from the pin on the c-file, though this was preferable to the text as the rook soon finds itself shunted out of play.
29.Ra1 Bb2
30.Raa4 Rd6
A sad necessity as the knight has no squares.
31.e5 Re6
32.Rc2 Nd8?!
Losing a piece, but after 32... Rb4 33.Ra2 Bd4 34 Bc8 Black loses the exchange.
33.Bxa7 Ra8
34.Bb5 Bxe5
This time the bishop has no squares. White's domination of the black pieces is remarkable.
35.fxe5 Rxe5
36.Be3
Black resigns – he stands no chance in the ending pitting knight and two pawns against two bishops.
1-0
Solution: 1... Bd4+! 2. Qxd4 (2. Kf1 Qd3#; 2. cxd4 (or 2. Kh1) 2... Qb1+ 3. Ne1 Qxe1+ 4. Bxe1 Rxe1#) 2... cxd4 winning.